Man Refuses To Change Plane Seats With A Mom So She Could Sit Beside Toddler, Says ‘It’s Not My Problem’

The process of flying is stressful, from making sure your luggage meets weight and size requirements to getting to the airport on time and waiting for what seems like hours at the security checkpoint. Once you are seated on the aircraft, you can finally relax, sit back, and enjoy the flight.

However, some people have experienced problems in the cabin as well. Reddit user in March 2022 shared their experience on a 10-hour flight from Japan in which another passenger asked if they could switch seats.

Some airlines are not always able to give you and those you are traveling with seats next to each other. It usually doesn’t pose a problem, aside from the inconvenience of missing out on some conversation during the flight. Traveling with elderly or young children can be quite bothersome for some. 

Although traveling alone, the person on the Japan flight discovered this would be a problem. Despite being assigned a perfectly acceptable window seat, the traveler soon realized there was an odd seating arrangement around them.

I was asked to change on a TPAC flight from Japan by a woman. “I was seated bulkhead window next to her toddler daughter, while she was seated behind me in the middle seat,” he wrote.

The traveler did not expect the arrangement to be their business – until the mother made it so.

The passenger was then presented with an offer they said they could not refuse. As they wrote:

“She asked me – and only me – to switch seats with her, so she could have my window seat (next to her daughter) and I could take her middle seat.”

According to the Reddit thread about how “irritating” it is to be asked to switch seats on a flight, the passenger refused to switch to an “inferior” seat. The passengers seated around the woman appeared to be in the same tour group as she was, but she didn’t ask them to switch seats. According to him:

It’s not my problem that they didn’t book together. She could’ve asked for a three-way trade instead since we were surrounded by others from her tour group. You can also contact the tour operator. 

You have the audacity to ask for just me and expect an inferior deal from me.”

A Reddit user asked how it felt to sit next to a toddler throughout a flight. Another explained how they handle seat swaps on flights.

“My rule of thumb is as follows:

1). I will only change aisles for aisles (my preference).

2). I will never switch an aisle or a window for a middle seat

3). I would never change if I had to pay extra for my seat.”

There were, however, a few comments that were not very sympathetic to the person on the Japan flight.

The traveler’s response to the situation seemed to take one parent by surprise. As they wrote:

“As a parent of a toddler, I’m surprised you chose to sit next to someone else’s unaccompanied toddler instead of moving. Yes, someone else could move, but either someone has to move or someone has to sit next to a flying toddler. According to u/snarky00, “I don’t know which is more annoying for the other passengers: it’s not always possible for families to book seats together, and go figure, sometimes they have to fly. I’m not sure what the answer is here, but being infuriated at a mom watching her own kid is dumb.”

Others also questioned the passenger’s final decision. What was it like sitting next to someone else’s toddler the entire trip?

According to one user. After a little assistance, the passenger was able to enjoy the rest of the flight. According to them:

It was a very pleasant trip thanks to the sleeping pill and her good behavior.”

Every half hour or so throughout the flight, the mother seemed to interrupt her daughter’s rest “just to get back at me.” He added: “So it was obviously a demonstration of how to counteract your refusal to let me sit there.”

When faced with such a seat swap situation, one simply has no choice but to follow one’s gut until airlines start enforcing hard and fast rules.

How did you feel about the passenger’s decision not to move? Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation and how did you handle it? 

Please pass this along to all your high-flying friends and family.

source : apost